Fundamental Truth

Thomas Jefferson wanted to keep the New Federal Government and Money Apart

Thomas Jefferson did not trust government. And he didn’t trust moneyed men. Because when the two come together they cause nothing but trouble. That’s why he hated and distrusted Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton wanted a strong central government. A central bank. And an economic system favoring merchants and bankers. With big city moneyed men financing the government in return for special favors.

This is why the nation’s capital isn’t in New York City. It once was. But one of the first deals the Hamilton and Jefferson camps made was the relocation of the nation’s capital to a mosquito-infested swamp on the Potomac River. A long, long way from the moneyed men in New York City. To try to keep the new federal government and money apart. To restrict the influence of the moneyed men on the government. And to prevent the government from having easy access to big money.

Why did Jefferson want to do this? Well, they fought for their independence from Great Britain. Which was a constitutional monarchy. Where some in Parliament were no friends of British America. And got the king to agree with them rather than the pro-British America faction in Parliament. Ironically, the Americans got help in their War of Independence from France. Which had an absolute monarchy. Whose king ruled with no check on his power. Both governments were in the big cities. London. And Paris. Where the moneyed men were. In the big cities. Allowing these monarchies to do a whole lot of mischief all around the world. And a fair amount of mischief inside their own countries. Because the money and the government were in the same city.

Government + Money = Corruption

Great Britain and France were forever at war with each other. And with other countries. Requiring a lot of money. Which they got from the moneyed men. In return for special privileges that allowed them to get ever richer. Of course the mischief grew greater as they fought a world war or two. Requiring ever more money. Which they got from, of course, taxing the rest of the people. Even those who could little afford it. And once this starts, once the government starts accumulating debt, that taxation will only get greater.

This is what Jefferson was worried about. And why he so distrusted Hamilton. The Founding Fathers were all gentlemen of the Enlightenment. Disinterested public servants. Honorable men who would never take advantage of their position in government for personal gain. Because for these men honor was everything. Some even fought duels to protect their honor. As Hamilton did. And died. Washington, Adams, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, Jay and Franklin were men of exceptional integrity. Men who could be trusted. But here is where Hamilton and Jefferson differed. Hamilton believed only men like them would ever enter government. While Jefferson believed that government service would one day attract mostly scoundrels and knaves.

Of course, Jefferson was right. For as the nation grew so did the size of government. And the need for great big piles of money. Which the moneyed men provided. In exchange for special privileges. Patronage. Lucrative government contracts. Etc. Big piles of money flowed into Washington. And favors flowed out from Washington. With many a politician getting rich in the process of getting rich moneyed men richer. Politicians who used their position in government for personal gain. Corrupted politicians. As government + money = corruption. Which is why politicians always leave office richer than when they entered office.

Power + Corruption = Tyranny

This is how it started. As the size of government grew corruption grew. Just as Jefferson feared. All that money flowing into Washington corrupted ever more politicians. Who were not gentlemen of the Enlightenment. But the scoundrels and knaves Jefferson knew would come. Who used their position in government for personal gain. Whose corruption grew so great it exploded federal spending. So great that taxes from the moneyed men AND the middle class were unable to fund it. So the taxation grew more aggressive.

The government created by the Founding Fathers had no income taxes. They funded the few things the new national government did with tariffs for the most part. People lived from day to day without any fear of the taxman. The United States even did away with debtors’ prison. Prison where people were sent who could not pay their debts. A relic of the 19th century. Sort of. For there is one debt people can still go to prison for not paying. Past-due taxes. For the IRS can take everything you have and imprison you if you don’t pay your taxes. And those taxes have grown great as of late. As the tax code has grown convoluted. Requiring businesses to hire armies of accountants and lawyers to comply with. So the government can help the moneyed men who help the government. In return for special privileges, of course. Leaving the masses dreading April 15. As they dread opening any letter from the IRS.

If you want to know what it was like living under an absolute monarchy just think of the IRS. People fear the IRS. Just as people feared the arbitrary power of an absolute monarchy. A king could take your property and lock you away. Just like the IRS. And if you spoke out against the monarchy the king could make your life really unpleasant. Just like the IRS. During the 2012 election the IRS targeted conservative political groups to stifle their free speech. Delayed their tax-exempt status approval. And harassed them with costly tax audits. And now their tyranny has extended to people in the middle class. Who unbeknownst to them had a family member owe the federal government. Years earlier. Even a generation earlier. And the IRS is arbitrarily seizing the tax refunds from these debtors’ distant relatives to pay these debts. Even though they are in no way responsible for these debts. And the government has no documentation for this debt. Doesn’t matter. Because they have the power to do this. And these people are powerless to stop them. Just like people living under an absolute monarchy were powerless to stop their king from doing anything to them. And this is what Jefferson feared. For after corruption comes tyranny. For power + corruption = tyranny. (Just look at every tin-pot dictator that has oppressed his people). Which is why people fear the IRS. And the federal government the IRS is beholden to. Because they have become everything Jefferson feared they would.

Politics 101

The Restoration brought Charles II to the Throne and gave him a Standing Army

Before the English Civil War there were no standing armies in England. During Medieval times everyone was a soldier. A ‘citizen’ soldier. Fighting in a part-time militia. You answered your lord’s call “to arms.” Fought. Usually to protect your lord’s land from intruders. Or to join a higher noble or king to fight an opposing noble or king. But mostly you fought near your home. And when you were done fighting you went back to your day job. If you survived. The sooner the better because there was usually a lot of work to do. And family to take care of. But this all changed during the English Civil War. Thanks to Prince Rupert of the Rhine. A dashing cavalier commander and veteran of some European fighting. He brought his professional military skills to England. And fought for his uncle, King Charles I, during the English Civil War.

His skill won a lot of battles for Charles I. And impressed Oliver Cromwell. Who was fighting for Parliament. So impressed him that he copied from Prince Rupert. And created the New Model Army. A professional army. Trained. Well disciplined. And paid. That fought anywhere. Ultimately winning the war for Parliament. Then marching on London for back pay. They held the power. And installed Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector of the new commonwealth (no monarchy or hereditary power). Who used the New Model Army to keep the peace. Rather brutally. Especially in Ireland. Where they had no family. And had no problem in being brutal.

After Cromwell executed his father, Charles I, the Scots crowned Charles II king. For Charles I was a Scott. And they were none too pleased that the English killed him. Charles marched south and tried to restore the monarchy. Failed. And Cromwell chased him all the way to France. Where he lived during the English commonwealth. In Louis XIV’s court. An absolute monarchy. The way it used to be in England. Before Parliament. And King Louis had something new. A standing army. Even in times of peace. And the French people didn’t bitch about the costs. Like Parliament did about every cost the royals incurred. When Cromwell died his son inherited his office of Lord Protector. So much for the elimination of heredity power. But he was weak. Couldn’t control the army. And didn’t last. Without a better option they talked to Charles II. Who said he would offer some pardons if they made him king. He would not seek any retribution for the killing of his dad. And he’d pay the army. And that fast England (and Scotland and Ireland) had a king again. (The Restoration.) And a standing army.

The British Subjects in North America did not have the same Rights as British Subjects in Great Britain

The British put that army to use during the 18th century. Fighting a lot of wars. In Europe. And elsewhere. With lots of soldiers serving garrison duty throughout the world to protect their colonial interests. Costing a pretty penny. The very reason why people don’t like standing armies. They’re very costly. In war. As well as in peace. Especially the peace that followed the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763). Great Britain won a lot of colonial land from the French. Particularly in North America. Where French Quebec became British. Giving the British nearly the entire North American continent. Full of Native Americans none too happy with the outcome of the Seven Years’ War. (Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa nearly threw the British out in 1763.) Or their French Allies. And the job of keeping the peace fell to the British Army. Those infamous Red coats.

During the 18th century Great Britain was a constitutional monarchy with a representative government. The king was still sovereign but he ruled with the consent of Parliament. And their money. During this time William Pitt the Elder, British Secretary of State, had built up a large and prosperous colonial empire. Over this century the balance of power tilted away from Spain and France and towards Great Britain. The Seven Years’ War in particular ended economically favorable for the British at the expense of the French. This meant a lot of money for those in commerce. Which made the taxpayers agreeable to some of these military costs. But at the same time this last war left Great Britain broke and in debt. Worse, she needed a larger military to garrison all that territory she had just won. And those taxpayers, represented in Parliament, weren’t going to say yes to any more taxes. Because they could. In constitutional Great Britain there was no taxation without the consent of those British subjects taxed. Well, for some of those British subjects.

The British subjects in North America did not have the same rights as British subjects in Great Britain. The British Empire needed revenue. And Parliament turned to the American colonies to collect it. Without their consent. Something not allowed by the Bill of Rights. A 1689 act of English Parliament. So the British Americans took some offense. And then the anti-American legislation came. The Sugar Act of 1764 taxing sugar. The Quartering Act of 1765 forcing Americans to provide quarters for and to feed British troops. The Stamp Act of 1765 taxing printed materials. The Declaratory Act of 1766 which repealed the Stamp Act due to fierce opposition but made all laws passed by Parliament legal and binding in the colonies. The Townshend Acts starting in 1767 which tried to make the taxes more palatable by taxing only imports. They didn’t. It also raised revenue for the British to pay judges and custom officials to keep them loyal to the distant Crown rather than the local populace. The Commissioners of Customs Act of 1767 that established an administrative board to enforce these new acts. Headquartered in Boston. America’s leading port. This caused a lot of resentment and open hostility to the Crown’s representatives in Boston. To protect them and to maintain order the British occupied Boston in 1768. Sending in the Red coats.

Parliament sued for Peace after Cornwallis surrendered in Yorktown because the War had grown too Costly to Continue

This was all very un-English. Not since the days of the New Model Army had English subjects lived under the tyranny of a standing army. A very costly standing army. Paid for by all of those revenue acts. So here they were. British subjects. Who lost centuries of hard-earned rights. Some going back to Magna Carta in 1215. While their British brethren were living under a constitutional monarchy in Great Britain. Enjoying all of their rights. Where life in North America was turning into an absolute monarchy. Like their most hated enemy. The French.

This all boiled over in Boston in 1770. Beginning with a British sentry. Some kid forced to stand guard among a hostile populace. It started with a misunderstanding. But the hatred of the British helped to escalate it. Until a mob had gathered. Taunting the sentry to fire his weapon. British reinforcements arrived. Someone struck and knocked down a private. Who grabbed his weapon and fired. Then other shots rang out. Even though the commanding officer did not give the order to fire. Killing 3. And wounding 8. The infamous Boston Massacre. Patriot and future Founding Father John Adams actually represented the British in court. Where they got a fair trial. And the case Adams presented convinced a Boston jury to find most of those on trial not guilty. Including the commanding officer. Which was the last act of civility between these two British peoples.

Hostilities would only grow. And within 5 years there would be a shooting war. That would take 8 years before a peace would finally end it. A war won, interestingly, not by a part-time militia. But by a professional standing army. That thing the Americans so hated. But whose very existence prevented an American defeat. Something General George Washington fully understood. Who may have lost more battles than he won. But he won the most important battle of them all. Keeping that army in the field. Until the point where Parliament said enough was enough. Sinking ever further into debt they sued for peace after Cornwallis surrendered in Yorktown. The war had simply grown too costly to continue. And the taxpayers no longer gave their consent to continue to pay for it.

Politics 101

King John renounced, and Pope Innocent III annulled, Magna Carta

England had been more French than English following the Norman Conquest. The ruling class spoke French. And had stronger connections to France than they did to England. The Kingdom of England did, after all, extend across the English Channel into France. The English nobility, on the other hand, were more English than French. This caused friction between the land owners (the barons) and the king. Because even though the king had official power the barons paid the taxes. Which meant the king could do anything he wanted with his power as long as the barons agreed to pay for it. And provided his armies. For the king had no standing armies. Which proved to be a bit of a restraint on being king.

The barons, though, felt the king was abusing them. The king was spending a lot of money on many losing military campaigns and stepping on the barons’ privileges. They presented Magna Carta to King John. Which put in writing limitations on the king’s powers. And the requirement that the king shall consult Parliament (common counsel of the realm including the clergy higher-ups and the more powerful barons) before raising new taxes. Something no king would willingly submit to. Unless it was a way to stall for time. So King John applied his Great Seal to Magna Carta. Making it the law of the land. But with his fingers crossed behind his back. Figuratively, of course.

Well, King John renounced the Great Charter once the barons had left London. And Pope Innocent III annulled it. Because of that divine rights of kings thing. Kings could do whatever they wanted because God gave them that right. While the Church made sure he didn’t abuse this power. Anyway, long story short, the king refused to honor his agreement. Which resulted in the First Barons’ War. It lasted a couple of years. The barons invited Prince Louis, son and heir apparent of the French king, to join them in their fight against King John. Something any French Royal would be glad to do. Then King John died and the barons became worried about Prince Louis. Some fighting and sieges later, Louis got some money and went back to France. King John’s son Henry was then crowned King Henry III. He was 9 years old. Until he came of age his royal keepers ruled in his stead. And brought back Magna Carta. With some changes.

The House of Lords and the House of Commons formed the Houses of Parliament

Well, all’s well that ends well, yes? No. For when the new king came of age he wanted to restore absolute monarchy. Like they had (and he admired) in France. He married a French woman. And brought a lot of his French relatives into high positions in his realm. Highly religious, he supported the papal invasion of Sicily. Which was a disaster. Well, you can guess where this led to. More fighting with the barons over Magna Carta. To remind him there were limits on his powers. Which the barons hammered home in the Provisions of Oxford.

The Provisions of Oxford is considered England’s first written constitution. The barons wrote it. In English. The new language of the ruling class. No more of that French nonsense. And presented it to King Henry III. Placing power into the hands of a council. Not the king. There would be 24 members in this council. Half chosen by the king. Half chosen by the barons. Parliament would oversee the council. And meet 3 times a year. Power was now with Parliament. Not the king. Which was huge for its day.

The king summoned the nobility and senior clergy to advise him. When he needed money he summoned knights and burgesses, too. Representatives of the common people. These common people met alone in 1341. And the upper and lower houses of Parliament were born. The House of Lords (nobility and clergy). And the House of Commons (knights and burgesses). Together they were the Houses of Parliament.

The Many, the Few and the One

Governing by the consent of the governed was here. But the journey wasn’t over yet. There would be many more bumps in the road ahead. Including the English Civil War. With lots of English-French issues to resolve. And a lot of Catholic-Protestant issues, too. Not to mention the Welsh, Scottish and Irish issues. But the general shape of things to come was here. For England. Great Britain. And the United Kingdom. Absolute monarchy was out. Constitutional monarchy was in. Representative government. Where all had a say. The commons. The nobility. And the king. The many, the few and the one.

Politics 101

The Divine Right of Kings gave Kings Absolute Earthly Authority

With the collapse of the Western Roman Empire there was chaos. Anarchy. It was a free for all when it came to power. Until, that is, a strong regional king came along. Who could unite the manors and the nobles. Usually in the face of a superior enemy. One of the greatest post-Roman kings was Charlemagne. King of the Franks (modern day France). Who united most of Europe. Then converted to Christianity. Something that impressed the Pope. Who did Charlemagne one better. And anointed him emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Holy Roman Empire had little to do with the old Roman Empire. It wasn’t even centered on the Mediterranean. It was up there in the land of the barbarians. Northern Europe. In and around modern day France and Germany. Where many Christian kings ruled many Christian kingdoms. But the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was the Pope’s choice to rule them all.

The key here is a religious authority anointing someone to make him king. Not necessarily a new concept. For Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel. With the Pope doing it in post-Roman Europe he was bringing back the concept. The Pope being God’s representative on earth meant that his appointment was God’s appointment. And hence the divine right of kings. Which basically gave the king absolute earthly authority. Who answers to no one but God. And, of course, the Pope.

The Magna Carta changed History by curtailing Absolute Monarchial Powers

Well that was all well and good but the kings earthly powers came from the nobility. The landed aristocracy. Who owned the manors and produced the food. That gave rise to the cities that produced the other necessities of a kingdom. Not to mention all the soldiers the king needed to expand his power. Or maintain his power. Which the nobility raised from those towns and manors. And picked up the bill to arm them as well. So, yes, the king had absolute authority. But his power came from the nobles. And the armies they raised could be turned against him just as easily as on his enemies.

And an English king would learn this lesson. Around 1215. King John. When King John became king the English Kingdom extended through much of France. John then lost these French lands. And spent a fortune trying to recapture them. A fortune which, of course, he took from his nobility. His barons. His tenants-in-chief. Who revolted. Then came to terms. When King John placed his seal on a list of their demands. The Magna Carta. It didn’t change much at the time. But the days of absolute monarchy were numbered. At least in England.

The Magna Carta may not have changed much in 1215. But it changed history. Soon there was an English Parliament. And it began to curtail absolute monarchial powers. Especially on that very testy issue of taxes. Soon the power of the purse belonged to Parliament. Not the king. Which really put a dent in kingly ambitions.

In the English Parliament Government ruled at the Consent of the Governed

William the Conqueror introduced feudalism to England in 1066. After the Battle of Hastings. And the Norman Conquest. Which changed England forever. Giving rise to the landed aristocracy. Among other things. And a strong central government. The impetus to absolute monarchy. Only to have his great-great-grandson, King John, introduce the beginning of the end of absolute monarchy. Against his will, of course. Which took us to a novel new idea of government. Embodied in Parliament. Where government ruled at the consent of the governed. Which would cause a lot of turmoil in England. And influence a lot people to come.

A Dumb Animal is a Content Animal

We had a customer once across from a slaughterhouse. The customer is long gone. But the slaughterhouse is still there. I remember one cold December day. It was close to the holidays. A festive time. Parked in the street were two cattle trucks. You could see their breath puffing out through the slats. They had no idea what was waiting for them once they left those trucks. They just stood there. Quiet. And content.

I had a cat once that lived to a ripe old age. In his old age, he suffered a stroke in his back end. His rear legs weren’t that steady. His feet kind of flopped around when he walked. He spent most of his days in the basement on an old chair. His water dish was underneath the chair. And a litter box was only a few steps away. We took food down to him. But every hour or so he struggled up the steps to the food dish in my study. He ate. Then I picked him up and placed him on my lap for some petting. He purred profusely. After 10 minutes or so he squirmed to get down. Ate some more. Then limped back downstairs. He was a shadow of his old nimble self. But he was content. To him, his life was normal. He couldn’t dwell about what was. Or what will be. He just knew when his tummy was empty. And when he craved affection.

In Gone with the Wind, when Atlanta was burning, Rhett Butler was helping Scarlet escape the city. The fire panicked their horse, though. It reared up and refused to move. So Rhett covered the horse’s eyes and said something like, “You’ll like this better if you can’t see it.” The horse calmed down. The fire was still there all around them. But the horse couldn’t see it. And they made their escape with Rhett leading the blindfolded horse.

Dwelling on the Fear of the Unknown

Sure, they’re just dumb animals. But are we really all that different? Apart from having hands with opposable thumbs, consciousness, an advanced language, our use of tools and our farming and animal husbandry skills to provide an abundant food supply, no. We prefer to not know unpleasant things. Especially if there’s nothing we can do to prevent those unpleasant things from happening. Or think too much about good things. If there’s a chance we can spoil them.

A pitcher throwing a perfect game (27 up and 27 out) in the major leagues is rare. It’s great when it happens. And heart-breaking when batter 27 gets on base. Whether by a base hit. Or an error. As a game moves ever closer to perfection, a deep dread and fear permeates everyone on that team. They don’t want to be that guy that spoils the perfect game. And they don’t talk about a perfect game lest they jinx it. They try to act as if they don’t know what is about to happen. To ignore the weight of the world crushing down on them.

Sometimes it’s not dwelling on the good that might not happen. Sometimes it’s dwelling on the bad that may happen. An infantry patrol going out behind enemy lines to snag some prisoners, for example. It’s dangerous. There’s a very good chance that some will not survive the patrol. As your patrol waits for h-hour, you don’t look at your fellow soldiers and wonder who might die. You don’t talk about it. You just try to push it from your mind. You go through the motions. Machine-like. Focus on the mission. And your training. And the next 5 minutes. You try not to think too far beyond that because, well, you just don’t. If something happens, it happens. Thinking about it won’t make it not happen. In fact, thinking about it may distract you a fraction of a second when the shooting starts and make it happen.

Sometimes it’s a cough that won’t go away. Or a lump that wasn’t there before. You get a sickening feeling when you think about what it may be. So you try not to think about it. You ignore it. You get used to it. Acclimate to it. You don’t dwell on it. Because the reality of it can be so unpleasant. But resorting to pure animal ignorant bliss may very well kill you. Sometimes we have to think about the unpleasant. To dwell about what might be. For if we do early enough, things don’t have to be as bad as they could be.

Have Food Will Bow

Life was pretty harsh until the British came around. Their ideas about representative government and capitalism led to a freeing of the masses from a life of drudgery and suffering like no other people did. From these ideals grew a new nation. America. And the Americans inspired an Old World nation. France.

It is hard for people today to fully understand what life was like for the average person before the ideas of representative government and capitalism. The average person was poor. Not middle class. But poor. They lived in abject poverty. They were overworked. Under paid. Oppressed. Malnourished. Emaciated. They were miserable, wretched people living miserable, wretched lives. Quite a difference from today where the average person is middle class and the poor are often overweight. Even obese.

This life was commonplace when oppressive state powers were commonplace. As the state’s power grew more limited, the average person’s life grew less miserable. The poor in pre-revolutionary France, working some of Europe’s most arable soil under an absolute monarchy, suffered from recurring famine. Meanwhile, over in the tiny island kingdom of Great Britain, a constitutional monarchy, they did not suffer recurring famines. In fact, they were grain exporters. That’s why there was no British Revolution to overthrow their monarchy as Europe trembled in the face of Napoleon’s advancing armies. Life was pretty good on that tiny little island.

People are Just Dying to Get Out of their Socialist Utopias

There are great debates about which is better. Capitalism or socialism. People like to point to European socialism as the ideal. These people are, in general, poor. When the Beatles got obscenely rich, they fled that socialistic utopia. As did others who struck it rich. Why? To keep what they had earned.

Because the vast majority is poor or middle class, we’ll never solve this debate. The poor and middle class will feel little pity for the rich and approve of confiscatory taxation. Until they become rich, that is. But what about other countries? Cuba? North Korea? The former Soviet Union? The People’s Republic of China in the days of the great famines?

Cubans boarded makeshift rafts and risked their lives to make it to Florida. Those who could in North Korea, like pilots, defected and flew to South Korea. The Soviet Union had to bribe and hold family members hostage to prevent their spies from defecting once they crossed over into the west.

The Soviet Union would eventually collapse and break out in capitalism. Communist China allowed some capitalism to prevent a collapse. Cuba was once a jewel in the Caribbean and now can’t even make a decent cigar. The North Koreans are still suffering recurring famines and chronic energy shortages. No, in these hardcore socialist states the message is clear. Life for the average person is little better than it was in the Middle Ages. And those who could escape their ‘utopias’ did.

Blinders are Okay if you’re a Horse

The scary thing is that these communist nations started out as people’s revolutions. They attacked the rich. Even the middle class. They promised their people everything (more food, shorter working days, free universal health care, free universal education, etc.). And, in most cases, failed to deliver.

These nations didn’t become totalitarian states overnight. It was a process. A process that went from good intentions to bad to worse. And here we are in America. Big Government promising us the same things. Free food for the poor. Shorter working days (by empowering unions). Free universal health care (which is just one public option away). And free college education for all.

Should we be concerned? Yes. Because these stories always end the same. After a people votes themselves the treasury, poverty and tyranny typically follow. It’s like a cancer growing. And we shouldn’t ignore it. For if we do, it will only spread further. And the further it spreads the harder it will be to get rid of it.

America was the first republic not to collapse. Can we continue to be that notable exception? Not by wearing blinders. As unpleasant it is, we must face this unpleasant truth.